Elon Musk, the world&rsquo;s richest man, used the final moments of Tesla Inc.&rsquo;s quarterly earnings call to make an impassioned appeal to investors&mdash;urging them to approve his proposed $1 trillion pay package while taking aim at shareholder advisory firms opposing the plan.
The vote on Musk&rsquo;s compensation will take place at Tesla&rsquo;s annual shareholders&rsquo; meeting in Austin on November 6.
&ldquo;I just think there needs to be enough voting control to give a strong influence&mdash;but not so much that I can&rsquo;t be fired if I go insane,&rdquo; Musk said, cutting in as the call neared its end.
The billionaire&rsquo;s comments brought an intense conclusion to an otherwise routine earnings discussion that focused on Tesla&rsquo;s AI programs, Optimus humanoid robots, and robotaxi development.
Musk also criticized Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, two major proxy advisory firms, accusing them of making recommendations that don&rsquo;t serve shareholders&rsquo; best interests. 
&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t feel comfortable building a robot army here and then being ousted because of some asinine recommendations from ISS and Glass Lewis, who have no freaking clue,&rdquo; he said.
Tesla&rsquo;s Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja closed the call by defending the proposed compensation plan, emphasizing that Musk would only benefit if shareholders see significant returns. 
&ldquo;The board committee designed the package to ensure alignment with investor interests,&rdquo; Taneja said, encouraging shareholders to vote in favor of the proposal.

Elon Musk speaks during Tesla earnings call

Elon Musk urges Tesla investors to back his $1 trillion pay deal, slams proxy firms

Musk Pushes $1 Trillion Tesla Pay Plan

Elon Musk urges Tesla investors to back his $1 trillion pay deal, slams proxy firms

October 24, 2025 | 16:51 IST